A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains or may contain material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the photocopy reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure in exactly the form it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
The present invention relates in general to a gaming device, and more particularly to a gaming device with a bonus scheme, wherein the bonus scheme contains more than one bonus games, and the bonus scheme randomly selects one of the bonus games based upon a weighted probability of selecting the bonus game.
Gaming machines currently exist with bonus schemes in which a player has one or more opportunities to obtain bonus awards or credits. Typically, gaming machines employ a single bonus game such that whenever the bonus round begins, the gaming device displays the same bonus game. While playing these bonus games may last for a relatively short or long time and may provide small or large bonus awards, the variety provided by the bonus scheme is limited. Over time, player excitement and enjoyment begin to erode in part because the player may play the same bonus game several times. Therefore, it is desirable to have more than one bonus game contained in a bonus scheme of a gaming device to provide players with a variety of bonus games, displays and outcomes.
Known gaming machines include schemes that have a plurality of different games from which the player chooses a game to play. After playing each of the games, the player likely becomes accustomed to the games, prefers one or more of the games over the others, and selects to play only the preferred games whenever a bonus triggering event occurs. The player""s control over the game selection and the preference of one or more games over the others negate the variety of having multiple games. Consequently, when the player tires of the preferred games, the player will in many cases discontinue playing the gaming machine altogether.
To increase player enjoyment and excitement, it is desirable to provide players with new bonus schemes in which the players have multiple opportunities to play different bonus games. In particular, as provided by the present invention, a gaming machine that randomly selects a bonus game for the player from a number games that have different features, payouts, and difficulty levels provides the player with a variety that increases and maintains player enjoyment and excitement.
The present invention provides a bonus scheme that has more than one and preferably at least three bonus games contained in one bonus scheme. Each bonus game provides excitement and enjoyment to the player via creative visual and audio displays. Each bonus game also has its own theme and may or may not be based upon schemes already known in the art of gaming devices. While the individual bonus games are not necessarily related to each other, the overall bonus scheme, preferably in the initial screen, ties the bonus games together in a master theme that provides flexibility for the individual bonus games to have their own themes.
In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, when the player receives a designated symbol during the base game operation of the gaming device, the gaming device automatically activates the bonus scheme. The bonus scheme provides a start bonus button, which enables the player to begin the bonus round. When the player presses the start bonus button, the gaming device selects for the player one of the three bonus games contained in the bonus scheme. The player plays the selected bonus is game and receives a bonus award or credit and returns the player to the base game.
For example, one embodiment of the present invention displays an initial screen on the video monitor of the gaming device, which contains a road, presumably leading to a place with gaming establishments, that has three billboards. Each billboard represents, describes the nature of, and discloses the maximum possible payout for each of the bonus games contained in the bonus scheme. The billboard master theme enables the scheme to employ games having individual and unrelated themes. This embodiment provides one bonus game that involves a gaming machine, one that involves building a hamburger, and one that involves a dancing character. The bonus round triggering mechanism of this embodiment is the appearance of a designated symbol on any one of the reels of the gaming device.
The gaming machine selects the bonus game randomly based upon predetermined probabilities that the implementor programs into the memory device of the computer of the gaming machine. The probability distribution may be any distribution that suits the above described themes and that maximizes player enjoyment and excitement. The probabilities could be xe2x80x9cflatxe2x80x9d for example a 1 in 3 probability across the board for each of the three individual bonus games. Preferably, the distribution excites the player by providing one or more desirable games that have a lower probability of selection. A game may be desirable by having a large maximum potential payout or by paying out a relatively large bonus in a relatively large number of instances.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a gaming device with a bonus scheme which provides more than one bonus game, wherein the player randomly receives one of the games based upon a weighted probability of selecting the bonus game.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed disclosure, taken in conjunction with the accompanying sheets of drawings, wherein like numerals refer to like parts, elements, components, steps and processes.